The members of Yob make gloomy doom metal but their outlook on life, art and music is refreshingly down to earth
“My metal sound is this big.”PHOTO BY JAMES REXROAD
Catch Yob on Wednesday, March 4, at the Press Club, 2030 P Street. Will Haven and Church are also on the bill. Cover is $15. More info at www.facebook.com/quantumyob.
The act of making a living but also bucking musical trends has, until lately, proven to be a struggle for one of doom metal’s great, relatively newer bands, Yob.
When the group formed in 1996, its members were all the about the music—not mainstream success—and that ethos carries on to this day.
Years later, the band’s steadfast desire to play a darker style long relegated to more obscure groups has finally gained popularity. While bands like Black Sabbath, Pentagram, St. Vitus and Cathedral all played a vital role in the scene many years ago, those bands also eventually changed to meet more commercial appeal.
“For a band that does our style of music, there is a gross perception that we’re bigger than we are. We’re still a very DIY and punk band by nature,” explained singer-guitarist Mike Scheidt during a recent phone interview. “We’re in a position to make smart choices that are better for the long term when it comes to touring and releasing records.”
Scheidt’s Eugene-based trio, which is rounded out by a rhythm section comprising Aaron Rieseberg on bass and Travis Foster on drums, is now touring again with a new record under its belt. Clearing The Path To Ascend was released on Neurot Recordings in September 2014. Its release has helped the band gain an even bigger fan base, Scheidt said.
“The response has been overwhelming. … We’ve seen many year-end lists with our name on it and heard lots of good words,” said Scheidt.
Fans who waited for Yob’s latest album, a four-song full-length with songs clocking in between 11 and 19 minutes, should note that the three-year hiatus was intentional.
“We’re not in the business of putting out music. There are lots of bands who suffer from putting out too many records,” Scheidt said.
Moreover, he added, the band only tours three months a year to keep itself grounded in its members’ family lives.
“Everything is good these days. Our focus is on each other’s health and friendship first and that makes the ups and downs much easier,” Scheidt said. “Our goal was and is to tour when we want and make the best music possible.”
For the uninitiated, Yob play a heavier brand of music that’s steeped in slow, sludgy tempos, obnoxiously heavy riffs, and oft-repeating, droning lines.
Over the years, the band has released multiple records on several different labels; Scheidt says that was always their plan.
“We had some good times on Metal Blade Records, but we have had a better experience on the smaller Profound Lore and Neurot labels,” Scheidt said. “Metal Blade came to us and we turned ’em down the first time and then [label head] Brian Slagel went out of his way to get us on board.”
The pairing, he added, didn’t turn out well.
“We ended up feeling like the bargain bin of his label. When we change labels now it’s just because we like change and don’t want to bind ourselves to four-album deals,” Scheidt said.
Whatever the label, the band’s enjoying bigger audiences lately—in 2014 the group joined Pallbearer for a U.K. tour, for which they were able to easily fill 500-700 capacity venues. The band’s consistently drawing larger numbers in the United States as well.
“We do well in quite a few places. … We’re not suffering like we did on previous tours and touring is much better for us now,” he said.
Ultimately, he said, the album-touring schedule—commercial success or not—is about doing what they want, all while striking the ideal life/work dynamic.
“We have a knee-jerk reaction against the norm and want to have a balance of real family life and the band,” said Scheidt, who handles the band’s business and management. “I have three kids and I don’t want to do this if it feels like punching a time clock.”
Cassandra Wilson will perform a host of Billie Holiday tunes for jazz and pop fans alike.PHOTO COURTESY OF HARRIS CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Paying tribute to the late, great Billie Holiday, one of the greatest vocalists to have ever graced a stage, is no easy feat. However, if any woman were up to the task, it would be Cassandra Wilson. For the better part of three decades, she has earned the respect of many jazz aficionados as well as gaining legions of adoring fans. On this particular night, she pays homage to Holiday in a set that should please fans of both artists. Lady Day was a revered jazz and pop singer who could make awkward phrasing feel comfortable and even the most complex sound simple by her own derision. Although Wilson’s repertoire proves she can handle any genre she so desires, the match of Holiday’s music and her voice couldn’t be more apropos. If you’re looking for a night to remember the ’50s, you can do no better than this. Coming Forth By Day: A Celebration of Billie Holiday; 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 2; $12-$45. Harris Center for the Arts, 10 College Parkway in Folsom; www.cassandrawilson.com.
Sun., March 1, 9 p.m., Harlow’s Restaurant & Nightclub, $25-$30
Fans of inspirational music take note: Kortney Jamaal Pollard (a.k.a. Mali Music) will make an appearance this weekend in support of the Grammy nominated (Best Urban Contemporary Album) Mali Is…. If you’re a fan of smooth, soulful and rich vocals, look no further. While most folks already know his smash single, “Beautiful,” the album’s strongest cuts are the wonderful, harmony-driven “Walking Shoes” and the stunning album closer, “I Believe.” While his record peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 chart back in June of 2014, Pollard is still making the rounds on the touring circuit to help spread the gospel of well-crafted R&B. Lakeisha “KP” Pollard opens. 2708 J Street, www.malimusicofficial.com.
SPOOKY Stories about unexplained sights and sounds at the Phoenix Theater abound.
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Petaluma’s Phoenix Theater has been a favorite evenue to thousands of wayward kids and concert-goers for decades. Apparently ghosts don’t mind all that noise.
After Tom Gaffey became general manager in 1983, he says he sensed a spirit lurking among its four walls. And while not every touring band or Rocky Horror PictureShow entourage has had a ghost sighting, the stories keep mounting.
“When I was a kid, there were stories about people seeing blue lights, and some had seen a little kid walking the building,” says Gaffey. Something used to walk across the stage, and the sounds of footsteps have been heard near and around the stage for quite some time, he says.
The stories have been investigated by psychics, paranormal investigators and various ghostbusters.
“There was a really clear one caught by some ghost hunters from Penngrove, and they got multiple responses up in the projection booth caught on audio tape,” says Gaffey.
He adds that “when Amy Bruni from [the Syfy Channel’s] Ghost Hunters and her crew came, they got some responses down in the basement. They experienced a lot of EVP [electronic voice phenomenon] and received various sound hits from different places throughout the building.
“We’ve probably had five or six psychics in the building that all claimed they heard and felt some really strong energy,” Gaffey says. “As far back as 1986, a psychic came here, and then wanted to come back again decades later to help cleanse the building of ghosts. Oddly enough, the emails I sent back in response to him were all stuck in the draft folder when I know they sent. That was weird.”
The Phoenix seems to be home to several different spirits. A little boy has been seen in random places. There is supposedly a larger character, dubbed Big Chris, who is believed to be a cousin of one of Gaffey’s friends, as well as an older man who apparently roams the attic. There have also been reports of a woman who haunted a bathroom, but she’s been quiet as of late.
Chomphard guitarist Lance Brown relates a story of his band practicing at the theater one night and noticing that “the light down in the boiler room kept flickering on and off. We could see it because there was a hole between the stage and boiler room, which is below downstairs. We went down and turned the light off, and then when we got back upstairs it was on.”
On another occasion, Brown and his band were practicing late at night and saw someone watching from the projection booth. He thought it was a friend of his. “We took a break and went up to say hello,” Brown says. “There was no one there.”
Former Conspiracy drummer Dimitri Katzoff has a ghost story too.
“I remember at one of our rehearsals there was a blue figure glowing behind our bass player. Also, I remember when I went upstairs to use the restroom while I was the only one in there, one of the stall doors slammed shut—I ran the hell out of there so fast!”
Of course, it’s possible that some of these shenanigans can be attributed to folks who’ve wandered into the building. However, the constant moving of pieces of furniture can’t be accounted for, says Gaffey.
“It’s when you are in quiet moments when you notice things are moved out of place,” he says. “The basement is the place where so many things have been shuffled around that now we have a lock on the door, and stuff is still out of place when we open it.”
Things even got physical once, he says.
“We had [local ska band the Conspiracy] practicing late at the venue one night. One of their members used the bathroom and got visible scratches on himself. That was rather freaky,” Gaffey says.
“He went into the little WC that used to be on stage right and came out with a giant unexplained abrasion on one whole size of his ribcage,” confirms band mate Josh Staples. “None of us went in there after that.”
Makes sense.
Like the music fans who pass through the Phoenix Theater’s doors, ghosts are treated just the same, says Gaffey.
“It’s kind of a check-in and check-out spot. The ghosts simply go there to hang out until they figure out their next move.”
He takes a hands-off approach to the apparitions.
“If there are really ghosts, it’s not my job to tell them they can or can’t stay. As long as they don’t hurt anyone, they are free to roam.”
Tired of loading up your gear and traveling far distances to play for nobody? There’s now a proper conduit for artists who want to play—and get paid. Concert Window is a relatively new site that works like this: Viewers browse artists’ shows (with the ability to sample a few minutes for free) and then pay to watch an online gig. Musicians looking to participate just need a relatively fast Internet connection, a webcam and a mic. Dress up or down, pick a location to record from and play. Then, upload the show to Concert Window’s server and get paid 70 percent of any profit made. Easy enough. www.concertwindow.com. (SN&R)
It’s been a long road, but Riotmaker’s Jeffry Valerio has put his demons in the rearview mirror
While some local bands seem to have everything handed to them on a silver platter, perseverance and endurance has helped Jeffry Valerio, frontman for Riotmaker, get through the hardest of times. The once fearless and seemingly invincible leader of Sacramento’s biggest reggae/rock band, Shakedown, found out he was anything but in 2005 when the band ousted him after serious bouts of hardcore drinking and drugs. The band seemed destined for great things and were one of the few local headliners that had hardcore fans until their untimely demise three years later.
Said Valerio of that period during a recent telephone interview, “After leaving Shakedown, I was out of the music scene for about five years. Shakedown was a very big deal to me and was my whole world. I drank a lot and did a lot drugs and really messed things up for the band and myself. We missed a lot of opportunities because we partied so much and I also put partying before making the band work. During the last year, we had a lot of differences and there were some shows I wouldn’t even remember. Consequently, I ended up getting kicked out of my own band and later stopped drinking to be with my wife and daughter and become a family man.
“Things were really bad and I stepped away from music,” Valerio said as if apologetic and thoroughly disgusted with himself. “To make matters worse, my wife and I separated shortly thereafter and now I have full custody of my daughter who is now 10 years old. Eventually, I started to work on my career outside of music and I worked my way up through the ranks of TGI Fridays and became a regional trainer and, at the same time, became a real drunkard. Eventually in November 2008, I decided I couldn’t do it anymore and put myself into rehab in Auburn.”
However, not all things were destined to go south in Valerio’s world as things started looking up. “Eventually, I moved in with a girl shortly after my stint at rehab and met two guys—one was my current guitarist Mat Venable who eventually married my roommate. We wrote and recorded for almost two and a half years and finally had some Riotmaker demos,” Valerio said.
After much heartache and deliberation, the band found itself finally doing its first show.
“On Feb. 23, 2013, we booked our first show at Marilyn’s on K,” the frontman reminisced. “Almost everyone of the Shakedown members showed up and supported, which made me feel wonderful. The very next day we got offered a show at Ace of Spades. Unfortunately, we didn’t understand when we were booked we were supposed to sell tickets, which we gave away to everyone for free. We showed up at the venue during sound check and the acting house manager, Thomas, almost didn’t let us play. Thankfully, Eric Rushing [talent buyer of Ace of Spades and The Boardwalk] knew I was sincere and merely laughed it off since he already knew me and realized I had been out of the scene for so long I didn’t know that was how the club worked.”
In just a few short days however, Valerio’s reggae/rock band, Riotmaker, will take the stage at The Boardwalk as part of a two-day festival dubbed Soundcheck: REVIVAL, put together by the fine folks at SacShows Presents. Once more, the band was responsible for hand-picking all of the multi-talented opening and supporting acts such as MDSO, Heat of Damage, Brodi Nicholas and others.
The show also is a momentous occasion for the band as it marks the release of Riotmaker’s official debut album. Their nine-song platter, recorded by the able hands of Joe Johnston at The Pus Cavern, is appropriately called Welcome to Calirock and features Hennessy, aka Jeffrey Harris (also in the Beatknocks hip-hop duo) on the reggae ditty “Everything Is Out” and Melissa McGregor from Once an Empire, whom the band met at Sacramento’s annual Concerts in the Park event, on “Ritalin Kid.” Valerio found great inspiration for the latter song from one local musician who’s made considerable waves in the Sacramento scene.
“The song ‘Ritalin Kid’ was written about Young Aundee when he was in a band called The Secret Six,” Valerio said. “He and I wrote a song together years ago and lifted a bit of lyrics to make this one.”
Currently, Riotmaker is a solid five-piece group with guests coming and going as needed for live shows. Valerio fronts the group, singing and playing acoustic guitar; Venable plays lead guitar, Scott Kennedy holds down rhythm guitar, Ben Lerch rocks the drums and bassist Justin Maddux handles the low-end frequencies.
The band’s name also has a story of its own that Valerio is quick to point out. “Mat and I would take breaks from writing and would listen to a lot of Avenged Sevenfold, Tech N9ne and more. There was one particular song that we loved called ‘Riot Maker’ by Tech N9ne and it just worked,” he said.
One of the band’s favorite Riotmaker songs to play live is a tune called “Girl Around the Way,” which is a tale about one of Valerio’s past loves, a woman who broke his heart and eventually led him to write the song. “This song was on our first, rather crude release and was written about her and our chance meeting. We made 1,000 copies of our first CD featuring the song and have since sold out of them but I still keep a handful with me as keepsakes.” he said.
Perhaps the album’s strongest cut is the groove-laden “The Busted Crown,” which is also the most personal. “I started writing the song during the end of Shakedown solo but then it got better and better when I added a full band.”
And while some would say the band is still in its infancy, Riotmaker has already supported some major national acts thanks to Valerio’s many connections and staying rooted in the scene while not actively playing. “We’ve played with Tesla, MC Rut, Oleander, Rome from Sublime with Rome, The Slackers, Fishbone, Yellowman, Authority Zero, and more,” he said.
Not a man to jinx any opportunities, Valerio is quick to point out that this album will be self-released, though they do have some outside interest.
“We’re going to have compact discs made first and most likely have vinyl later. I know all bands say they have interest and stuff, but we’re just gonna keep quiet until we know certain things come together,” Valerio said. “Right now we’re in a really good situation. We usually fund everything from our shows, but we had a backer that gave us $5000 for our recording. We were going to do the album ourselves and then Thomas Flowers [singer for Oleander] ended up recording ‘Are You There?’ with us and inspired us to record a full album. This same anonymous backer, an acquaintance from high school days, also gave us another $10,000 for a touring vehicle as well.”
The band’s album will be available through the band’s shows and, ultimately, at CD Baby so they can take advantage of digital and physical distribution opportunities (as well as synch licensing).
“We want to tour and eventually add some horns and a multi-instrumentalist who can play keys, percussion, and more,” said the enthusiastic bandleader. “We have our CD release and then will be playing the Unity Festival Arizona at Lake Havasu with headliners Fishbone and Anuhea on Saturday, March 14. The day after we just got added to a bill with Common Kings and New Kingston at Ace of Spades. We are also playing on April 18 at The Powerhouse Pub in Folsom with Once An Empire. Of course, we’ll be at Concerts in the Park in May and a plan to have a full U.S. Tour in June/July if all goes well.”
It’s a new day for Valerio and his band and he’s proof positive that things can turn around in time.
“With Riotmaker, it really is about the music and being with each other and hanging out,” he said. “We’re not setting out to be famous, rich rock stars. There is no animosity since the other guys are into playing just to play. We simply want to have a good time and we’re gonna tour as much as possible.”
Added Valerio in closing, “And while I don’t like the business part of music, Facebook and other social media have done wonders for us. I’m a social media whore and started the page back in 2008. Shortly after I started blasting it Riotmaker out there it got over 1000 likes in the first year.”
With nearly 8,000 likes on Facebook alone, one can only assume it’s only up from here.
Well done.
Riotmaker play Friday, Feb. 20, 2015 at The Boardwalk in Orangevale (9426 Greenback Lane) with A Mile Till Dawn, MDSO, Brodi Nicholas, Heat of Damage, and Bennett Hannon (of Kayasun). The show starts at 7 p.m. All ages are welcome. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased through Theboardwalkpresents.com.
Valentine’s Day is ultimately what you make it. For those who wish to not wallow in their own tears, seeing Canadian singer-songwriter Fred Eaglesmith could be the most solid choice you make this year. For nearly 35 years he’s been releasing some of the best alternative country fare in the world. His following spans across the United States and he’s become a household name on the underground country circuit after releasing the highly successful Lipstick, Lies and Gasoline in 1997. Fans of awkward humor alongside courageous, heartfelt ballads and heaping doses of honky-tonk need to see Eaglesmith, since he rarely makes it to these parts. 13 Main Street in Winters, www.fredeaglesmith.com. (SN&R)
Grammy-worthy jazz: Attending a show at the Mondavi Center’s intimate Vanderhoef Studio Theatre Cabaret is akin to stepping into a different time zone—and zip code—from years gone by. As luck would have it, Billy Childs and his quartet held court there for a four-night residency last week—just days before the jazz pianist and composer snagged his fourth Grammy Award for arranging “New York Tendaberry.”
On this particular Thursday night, the group dealt a heaping dose of Childs’ own recorded jazz numbers mixed with various bits of improv and personal taste. Steve Wilson (alto, soprano sax), Hans Glawischnig (stand-up bass) and Johnathan Blake (drums and percussion) are all immensely talented musicians.
From the opening number, “Backwards Bop,” through to the group’s splendid rendition of Horace Silver’s “Peace,” no musical stone was left unturned. Each member, as in any good jazz quartet, was able to strut his stuff and display chops—taking turns while never seeming self-indulgent. If anything, we wished some of Childs’ solo anecdotes never ended.
The capacity crowd—ranging from 20-somethings to those leaning toward their 60s—couldn’t have been any more attentive and patient. Nary a cell phone was seen snapping photos, tweeting or recording during the near-90 minute performance. Each tune—including two different numbers about Childs’ sons—was met with huge rounds of applause.
Pay close attention when Mondavi does these intimate cabaret shows—you’ll rarely see many of the artists come through again for years. Plus, the sound is flawless, there isn’t a bad seat in the house and there’s a fully-stocked bar. Only two more musicians will perform at the Vanderhoef during the remainder of the season: saxophonist Donny McCaslin with his jazz group on March 25-28, and French-Canadian bass-baritone Philippe Sly, May 16-17.
Black Map may be a new band on the hard rock scene, but its members aren’t lacking in experience
Music fans don’t realize the immense amount of preparation it takes to successfully launch a new band. Schedules have to be arranged, songs need to be constructed and, most importantly, the members need to get along and work together. The countless, sweaty and long rehearsals held regardless of bad weather alongside the immense pressure each member puts upon his/her self can be daunting.
Although point of origin shouldn’t be an issue, hard rock band Black Map, which features drummer Chris Robyn (Far), guitarist Mark Engles (Dredg) and bassist/vocalist Ben Flanagan (Trophy Fire), have got all three potential problems working in their favor. Once more, they’ve garnered a strong buzz overseas by getting in front of people well before the release of their first full-length album.
The band hit it off immediately after playing together for the first time and were recording within a month, eventually touring behind the end product, the magnificent Driver EP. And while the band hasn’t really embarked on a proper tour to promote their new album—…And We Explode on Minus Head Records—let’s just say it’s in the works.
Fans of Sparta, Dredg, Far and the like will appreciate the new album for the ebbs and flows of the songs all the way through to the ambient outro “And We Explode Part 2.” “Code,” the opening track, kicks off the album after a nice atmospheric swell and showcases the band’s attention to both staccato rhythms and its open-ended chorus. “Chinaski” also finds the band expanding into emo-rock territory with great effect and rivals any of the members’ work with their previous bands. Also of worthy mention is “Head to the Hills,” which finds Flanagan and Robyn locking in perfectly amongst Engles’ handy fretwork.
Submerge caught up with Flanagan in San Francisco as he was preparing for two shows at Bottom of the Hill and Sacramento’s Blue Lamp, the latter of which would be canceled.
Has Black Map played out much thus far? We’ve only played about 45 shows at this point and eight local shows. We also did a two-week tour with Chevelle in the states on the West Coast in July 2014.
You previously played in a band called The Actual. What was your experience like being signed to Scott Weiland’s Softdrive Records? I joined the band after they already existed. There was a lot of pressure from Scott and others to add a second guitarist/singer. Before I even played a note, I was in their music video. Scott is one of the most talented performers and is quite esoteric. We also were fortunate enough to do a couple weeks touring with Velvet Revolver.
You also played with another well-known band, Dredg. Do you have plans to go out as a backing vocalist/guitarist? Dredg is very much a band and, yes, they’re still active. They recently toured in Europe without me. Me playing with them is just a matter of scheduling and need and depends on the material they’re playing since they have done album anniversary shows.
Your last record with The Trophy Fire was released in 2013. What’s happening with that band? The band is dormant but not dead. The guys are close friends and we don’t have anybody yelling over our shoulder to keep busy. Right now I’m concentrating on Black Map and promoting this record.
Where do your bass lines come from? I pretty much write all my bass lines. The skeletons of the songs come from either Mark or myself. Of course, when it comes to the songs I wrote, I write everything.
“And We Explode Part 2” has an early M83 vibe. Are you into electronic music? I love ambient electronic music, Depeche Mode and ethereal Brit-pop. We recorded this over much time and decided that we would end the album and cleanse the listener’s musical palate.
What was it like working with Aaron Hellam and his Hellam Sound studio? Aaron is a really great friend and we have great history with him. He knows how to talk to us but he is definitely helpful with adding little extras and 90 percent of the time he’s right when giving input. It’s cool, though, because his studio is in a building connected to our rehearsal space. It’s called Jack London rehearsals.
Where did you end up meeting Chris Robyn [drummer of Far] and how did this collaboration with Mark Engles come about? It’s pretty random. Dear Kerosene was my previous band. We needed a lawyer to do a trademark on our band name and Eddie Meehan from ground(ctrl) recommended our music. There’s a song we had called “Trust” that he liked and we developed a mutual admiration for each other’s music.
How are you going to promote the new record in 2015? Touring? Definitely. We’re in the midst of booking more shows in the West Coast and then hope to head back to Europe early in the year. At present, we don’t have a booking agent but we are looking hard for one now for national and international tours.
Any festival plans for 2015? SXSW? It’s definitely possible that we will play. We got asked last year to play two parties, but it wasn’t worth it financially.
How was the tour of the United Kingdom? It couldn’t have been better. The Driver EP came out long before the European tour. We purposely had the four-song EP so we could have something to sell. We also have vinyl coming out soon.
Any Bay Area bands that you’re currently into? My two favorite bands are called Picture Atlantic [Brit-pop trio] and Eyes on the Shore, who play earthy rock ‘n’ roll.
What bands would you like to support or open for next year? That’s a loaded question. There are so many bands we’d love to share the stage with. Obviously, Queens of the Stone Age, Baroness, Failure and Deftones are high on the list. There are many others that I can’t think of but there are definitely many more. We’ve talked to Abe Cunningham from Deftones and have our fingers crossed that they’ll have a slot on one of their tours.
San Francisco is expensive. How can you afford it and still tour? I am a bartender at a place called Leopold’s in San Francisco. It’s Austrian and German fare. Minus Head paid for a lot of things like transportation costs and have been awesome thus far.
What can fans expect from your upcoming show other than, obviously, songs from the new record? We’re going to play the record in its entirety since we haven’t played “Stranger” and “And We Explode Part 2” in Sacramento yet. We’ll also try to do a cover song or two to break things up.
Have you been getting good feedback from social media? Yes. I think we all are responsible for that. All of the band members outside of Black Map support us and you will find information about us on their Facebook pages and websites as well. There’s no reason it all can’t be shared since we all have the common goal to be seen and heard by as many as possible.
Where is your biggest fan base outside of the Northwest and California? I think in all the markets we’ve played with Chevelle have helped us gain some new fans. We still haven’t played the East Coast or Midwest yet but hope to play all over this year.
Any plans to return and play Sacramento proper in 2015? Since we had to cancel our show for personal reasons, I’m going to rebook this early in the year.
Have you heard any rumblings from the other members of Dredg or the other guys’ bands about Black Map? They all seem to like the band, and I’ve heard nothing but positive feedback.
Any extra songs in the can for the next record even though yours was just released in late October? We’re just starting the process of writing. We’re not a band that wants to put out something every two years. We plan to write well throughout 2015.
Do you feel like Black Map is getting more response than any of your projects? Yeah, definitely. My previous band, The Actual, had some pretty big legs under it since we were signed to an imprint through the majors. It’s just nice to see the reaction, and we’ve all put in a lot of time in this industry.
To order …And We Explode and to keep up on their calendar, go to Blackmapmusic.com
Although very little can trump Jeff Bridges’ stellar performance in 1998’s The Big Lebowski, this multifaceted artist has many sides to him. Unlike other movie stars who delve into music and crash hard, Bridges has proved himself a worthy musician and able frontman. Though some point out that his success is because of producer T-Bone Burnett, one listen to his live album will make naysayers take notice. If you’re a fan of lazy country, you are urged to catch one of his three shows in NorCal this week: In addition to playing Sacramento, he’ll play in Grass Valley on Friday and Chico on Saturday. Opening is Jessie Bridges, Jeff’s daughter. 1013 K Street, www.jeffbridges.com.
Eddie
